


Would Anyone Notice?

by AlexKaye7



Category: Supergirl, supercorp - Fandom
Genre: A little bullying, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Endgame Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, F/F, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kara and Lena fluff, Lena can sing and play the piano, Lillian Luthor is a bitch, a little humor, a little sad but has a happy ending, and deserves to rot in hell, based off of a song, but the self-harm is, kara is a puppy, the abuse is not detailed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:26:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28610547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexKaye7/pseuds/AlexKaye7
Summary: This is a High School AU where Kara basically convinces Lena to do the school talent show but with some stuff before thatBased off of one of my favourite songs Would Anyone Care by Citizen Soldier
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 2
Kudos: 80





	Would Anyone Notice?

**Author's Note:**

> !!TRIGGER WARNING!!  
> Contains:  
> Abuse(not detailed)  
> Self-Harm(detailed)
> 
> The song:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHdqnfnh_Rk

She kept her head down, clutching her books to her chest as she sped through the halls trying to get to her next class. She was almost there when out of nowhere, a forceful shove knocked Lena into the lockers next to her, making the edges of her books dig into her already bruised ribs and a cry escapes her mouth as she falls.  
“Nice!” somebody shouted, laughing.  
“What the hell?!” The laughter died down instantly at the sound of Kara’s voice and Lena felt herself smile despite the pain she was feeling. Her footsteps came closer until they stopped right in front of Lena. “Get the hell out of here or else.” Her threat loomed in the air, scaring whoever had pushed her to run away.  
Even though Lena knew she was there, when Kara gently touched her shoulders, the brunette flinched. “Lena, it’s just me.”  
“I-I know, sorry.” She mumbled, gathering her scattered books.  
Kara sighed. “You don’t have to apologize, are you okay?”  
Standing up, she bit her lip to stop herself from wincing as pain radiated throughout her body. “Yeah, I’m fine.” her answer came out in a squeak that had the blonde raising an eyebrow.  
“You sure about that?” Lena deflated under the gaze of her girlfriend.  
“No,” her hand cradled her ribs.  
“Lillian?” She nodded her head, her eyes downcast. “Come on, let’s get some ice from the nurse then get to class.”  
When they got to the nurse’s office, Kara made up some excuse about hurting her wrist during gym last period. The older lady, Megan, gave her a look before handing a bag full of ice with a pass so their tardiness was excused.  
“Miss Danvers, that is the third time this week, I’m going to start wondering if maybe we should get your head looked at.”  
A goofy smile made its way onto Kara’s face and no matter how many times she’s seen it, Lena’s heart fluttered. “Mrs J'onzz, I assure you that my head is fine. But I can’t say the same for the other people in my class, their clumsiness is just ridiculous.” the older woman couldn’t help but smile back at her and they thanked her before leaving.  
Kara immediately pulled her into the bathroom and used her scarf to secure the bag on Lena’s ribs as flat as she could so nobody would notice. She tried to keep her gaze away from the giant purple and blue bruise that covered almost half of the brunette’s abdomen when she saw them, the small red lines poked through Lena’s sleeve. Closing her eyes, Kara focused back on the task at hand, deciding that that conversation was better left for later when they weren’t in school.  
“I hate seeing you like this,” Lena turned to her as she pulled her shirt back down. “I don’t understand-”  
“Because, Kara, my family is not exactly full of saints. If I even thought about telling anyone, who would believe me? My brother is a fucking terrorist that blew up Metropolis, killing thousands.” She sighed seeing the look the blonde was giving her in the mirror. “I’m sorry, darling. Can we just...not talk about it right now?”  
“Yeah, come on.” She grabbed Lena’s hand and they walked out. “One more class then we get to go to my house for the weekend to watch movies and eat popcorn.”  
Lena smiled. “Of course, darling.” she raised onto her tip-toes, pressing a kiss on Kara’s cheek.  
***  
“Mom, we’re home!” Kara shouted, shutting the door behind them as Lena took her shoes off.  
“She’s not here, nerds.” Both of them turn around so fast, they risk getting whiplash.  
“ALEX!” Kara screamed. The redhead smiles at the younger girls as they barrel into her arms. “But-”  
“Break started early, so I decided to surprise you.” She kissed Kara on the forehead. “Then I was going to have you text Lena to come over to surprise her, guess I don’t have to anymore.”  
Lena gives her a small smile, wrapping her arms around herself, Kara made eye contact before turning back to her sister. “Yeah, Lena had a bad day so I dragged her here.”  
“Dragged, huh?” Alex raises an eyebrow in playful suspicion.  
“Oh yes, it was completely involuntary.” The brunette drawls. The three of them burst out laughing, moving to the living room when Lena stops. “Actually, I’m gonna go to the bathroom first. I’ll be right back.”  
Ignoring the concerned looks of two of the most important people in her life, Lena swiftly grabs her bag and runs up the stairs to the bathroom, locking the door. She leans her back against it, slowly sliding to the floor. Her ribs scream in protest, but she doesn’t care. She knows she shouldn’t feel sad, shouldn’t be crying, but Lena couldn’t help it. She wishes so bad that this could be her life. That her family could be this normal.  
Shaking her head knowing that none of that was possible anymore, not after what Lex did, Lena rummaged in her bag until her fingers found a small case. Grasping it, she pulled it out onto her outstretched legs before rolling her sleeves up. The ones she did last night, the jagged, angry red lines Lena etched into her skin stare back at her. Again, she knows she shouldn’t, but it’s the only thing Lena has control over anymore, and after today...  
Sucking in a breath, the brunette takes the thin piece of metal from the case between her fingers and brings it to her arm, she bites her lip at the sting from her skin splitting open, blinking away the tears. Bringing it across again, Lena digs in harder, watching the blood bead on the surface. With shaky fingers, she switches hands and brings the blade to her other arm to repeat the process.  
A couple minutes later, Lena’s cleaning up the blood from her fresh cuts and wrapping them, she did more then she should’ve. After making sure she had everything in order and the few tears that escaped weren’t visible, she flushes the toilet for good measure then walks out. When she gets back downstairs, the sisters had already set up the movies and snacks, blankets piled on each couch. She set her bag by the door and made her way over to Kara, the blonde was sitting with her back against the armrest and her legs in front of her, Lena sat down and scooted back into the warm embrace of her girlfriend as she felt a kiss being placed on the back of her head.  
They were halfway through the third movie, Alex had long since passed out, tired after the drive here. Kara was playing with Lena’s fingers when she caught a glimpse of white under her sleeve. She grabbed the sleeve and pulled it down to see a bandage and numerous cuts covering Lena’s arm. The brunette tried to pull her arm away, ashamed that Kara was seeing something that proved just how weak Lena really was.  
“Lee, you promised that you’d come to me.”  
Tears pooled in her green eyes, she stopped struggling and dropped her head. “I know.” her voice croaked.  
Bringing the scarred arm to her mouth, Kara gently kissed it before wrapping her arms around the smaller girl in her arms. “Do you still have it?” Lena nodded. “I’m not going to take it, as much as I want to, it’s not my choice and I’m not going to make you promise to stop, I don’t have that right. But please know that I love you, we all do.”  
“I know and I’m sorry, I-I just couldn’t take it.” She sobbed. “L-Lillian was just so...and I had no way of leaving or to contact you and then today in the hall, god Lillian’s right, I am pathetic.”  
“Hey, no, none of that.” Kara held Lena tighter. “You’re not pathetic, you’re human. And no matter what anyone says, you’re allowed to feel like this, but please promise me that next time you try and find another way to deal with how you’re feeling, okay?”  
Lena sniffled, nodding against Kara’s chest. “I-I promise.”  
Kara kissed the top of her head. “That’s my girl, I love you.”  
“I love you too and I promise that I’ll stop, I mean it this time.”  
They were drifting off on the couch when Lena’s phone buzzed on the coffee table, making all three of them jump awake. Lena grabbed it seeing that it was a text from her mother.  
**“WHERE ARE YOU?!?!”**  
“Shit,” she whispers.  
“Hey, you okay?” Lena’s head shoots up, Kara's concerned eyes meet her again.  
“Y-Yeah, my um, my mother texted me, I have to go.” She stands up, pressing a chaste kiss on Kara’s lips before grabbing her books.  
“But I thought we had the weekend?”  
“I know, I’m sorry but I have to go. I’ll see you on Monday.” The brunette doesn’t give either girl the chance to replay before she shuts the door behind her and runs down the street to her house.  
When Lena walks in, it’s eerily quiet. Thinking it was a false alarm, one of Lillian’s tricks she likes to play on Lena, she relaxes. On her way to the stairs, however, prove her wrong when she’s yanked back by her hair.  
“WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!” When Lena doesn’t answer right away, Lillian pulls harder. “WHERE?!”  
“I-I’m sorry, mother, I didn’t think you were coming home until tomorrow!” Lena bites the inside of her cheek to suppress the tears, they only seem to fuel the older woman even more.  
“Well, you thought wrong.” Lillian shoves her forward, causing Lena to lose her balance and land on the steps, but she holds in the whimper. “Go to your room, no dinner tonight.”  
Wiping her eyes, she quickly scrambles to her feet and dashes up the stairs, slamming her door shut behind her. Before the tears even form, Lena shakes her head. Her eyes drift to her bag and she’s so tempted, but she promised Kara and she intends on keeping it this time, so she takes the small case from her bag, goes into the bathroom and dumps the blade along with a few more into the toilet then flushes it. Letting out a breath, she turns around and goes to her desk, pulls out her small journal then walks to her piano. Setting the book to the right page, she sits on the bench, her fingers lightly ghosting over the keys.  
Closing her eyes, she starts to play.  
_“We live and we die_  
_Like fireworks_  
_Our legacies hide_  
_In the embers_  
_May our stories catch fire_  
_And burn bright enough_  
_To catch God's eye_  
_We live and we die_  
_Like fireworks_  
_We pull apart the dark_  
_Compete against the stars_  
_With all of our hearts_  
_Till our temporary brilliance turns to ash_  
_We pull apart the darkness while we can”_  
***  
A month later  
“Lee, I’m telling you you have to do it.”  
“No, Kara.”  
The blonde whines and Lena has to press her lips together tightly to prevent from smiling. “Why not.”  
She shrugs. “Because you know how I am. Plus, I’m not any good.”  
Kara scoffs. “Okay, I’m sorry babe, but that’s just bullshit. Isn’t that bullshit guys?” she asks as they sit down at their lunch table.  
“Mhm, what’s bullshit?” Winn asks through a mouthful of his sandwich.  
Lena couldn’t help but snort as Kara huffs.  
“Lena doesn’t think she’s good enough to be in the school talent show.”  
“That’s because I’m not, Kara.” The brunette steals a fry from her tray, hoping to whatever god that’s up there that Kara would put this to rest.  
It’s been two months since Kara found out Lena’s secret, two months since she walked in on Lena playing the school piano after hours. She heard Lena singing from the hallway when the brunette was waiting for her and couldn’t believe how beautiful it was, the lyrics were sad but it was still beautiful. And now, she’s been pestering Lena to do the talent show that’s next week.  
“Bullshit!”  
“If I may, it does not seem like Lena wants to do this particular thing, no?” Lena shakes her head at Brainy.  
“But she has too,” the blonde whines again and turns to face her, intertwining their hands. “You have too, please.”  
“Well, I for one, have never seen her do anything other than kick our asses at math and science.”  
“Exactly, what would she even do? Conduct an experiment that makes fireworks on stage?”  
The glare Kara shoots at James has the upperclassmen shrinking away. “No, of course not.”  
“Not that I couldn’t do that, it’s a simple formula really.”  
“Wait a second, you can make fireworks?” Nia’s big brown eyes widen at her when both Brainy and Lena nod. “That is so cool!”  
Lena smiles, “I could-”  
“Hang on, that’s not what I was talking about!” Kara pouts.  
The brunette sighs. “Darling, why is it so important to you that I do this? It’ll most likely end with everyone throwing food at me.”  
Kara looks at her incredulously. “That only happens in the movies and because, I want everyone else to see just how talented you are, and not just in academics.” her puppy-dog eyes bore into Lena’s, slowly breaking her down. “Pretty please?” she juts out her bottom lip.  
“Dammit.” She whispers, averting her eyes as Kara pumps her fists in the air with a huge smile.  
“Yes!”  
“That’s not fair, you know what that look does to me.”  
Kara grabs a fry and bites half of it off. “All's fair in love and war, Lee.” she smiles.  
“I’ll show you war,” Lena mumbles as she sits there sulking until she gets an idea of her own and smirks. “Okay, if I’m being forced to do this then you can’t hear it until I perform.”  
“What?”  
“You heard me, no sneak peeks, no previews.”  
“But-” Lena arches her eyebrow. “Fine. But I’m bringing Alex and Eliza.”  
***  
A week later  
Lena paces back and forth backstage, her heart going a mile a minute and her hands shaking. The other acts gave her weird looks and scoffed, deeming her not worth worrying about. She’s just on the verge of calling this off and going home when a pair of hands appear on her shoulders.  
“Baby, hey, calm down.” She shakes her head, feeling tears prick her eyes. “What’s the matter?”  
She throws herself into Kara’s arms, burying her face into her chest. “I don’t think I can do this.”  
Kara just smiles. “Yes you can, baby, and I know you can.” Lena shakes her head again and Kara sighs. “Come here,” She walks to the curtain, pulling it back a little. “Look.” she points and Lena follows her finger. “Eliza and Alex are here, so is Winn and Nia and Brainy, hell I think everyone is. We’re all here for you, Lena.”  
Lena feels her eyes tear up again, but this time with happiness that she finally has people who care about her.  
“All you have to worry about is going out there and crushing it. And if you get nervous just imagine everyone in their underwear,”  
Lena smirks a little. “Darling, seeing you in your underwear wouldn’t help, it’d distract me.”  
“R-Right,” Kara rubs the back of her neck sheepishly. “Well then, just close your eyes. Imagine that nobody is around and you’re in your room by yourself, okay?”  
“Okay.”  
“Have you…”  
Lena shook her head. “No,” she pulled her sleeves up to show Kara, the faint white lines in the place where the cuts used to be. “I promised you that I would stop and I have.”  
Kara pulled her in for another hug, smiling. “I’m so proud of you.”  
She looked up, grabbed Kara’s collar and pulled her down for a kiss. She’s smiling when they pull apart, resting their forehead together. “Thank you, darling.”  
Kara beams. “No problem, babygirl. I’ll stay right here until you have to go on.”  
*  
She takes a deep breath, Lena was the final act of the night and Kara had just left to go sit down. Forcing her hands to stop shaking, Lena hears Lillian’s voice in her head and although everything her mother tells her is an insult, it strangely helps.  
_“Stop fidgeting, Lena. Luthor’s don’t fidget.”_  
_“Stand up straight, Luthor’s don’t slouch.”_  
_“A Luthor never shows their weakness.”_  
Lena repeats those things in her head until her hands stop shaking and her breathing is normal again.  
“Our final act of the night is Lena Luthor performing an original song.”  
_‘Here goes nothing.’_  
Taking one last deep breath, she squares her shoulders, lifts her chin and steps out from behind the curtains, the spotlight following her. The piano she requested sits in the center of the stage, the stool positioned so she’s facing the audience. She hears a couple of people laughing, presumably the football team, but doesn’t let it bother her, right now, her face is emotionless; right now, she’s the daughter Lillian trained.  
As she sits down, Lena looks out until she finds the blue eyes that instantly calm her. Kara gives her a smile with an encouraging thumbs-up that makes Lena smile. Bringing her hands up, her fingers gently brush the ivory and ebony keys, and she closes her eyes. She doesn’t need sheet music, or to even see the keys, Lena’s been a piano prodigy since the day she came to the Luthor’s at age four. Her music instructor once told her that, “Every great musician should know what they’re playing without having to look, it’s the emotion they put into it that matters. Remember that, Lena.”  
When she played her first piece without looking at the keys at age six, it was one of the first things Lena had done that actually impressed Lillian, besides beating Lex at a game of chess the week after she arrived.  
The auditorium goes silent as she begins.  
_“Would anyone notice,_  
_If tonight I disappear?_  
_Would anyone chase me,_  
_And say the words that I need to hear?”_  
Lena forces herself to imagine she’s back in her room by herself, she’s never sung in front of anyone before, well, except for Kara, and this was absolutely terrifying.  
_“That I’m no burden,_  
_Not so worthless_  
_Bent so much that I just might break_  
_All-consuming, so confusing_  
_The questions that keep me awake”_  
Her fingers move swiftly over the keys, her eyes remaining shut.  
_“Would anyone care_  
_Would anyone cry_  
_If I finally stepped off of this ledge tonight?_  
_Would anything change?_  
_Would you all be just fine?_  
_‘Cause I need a reason to not throw the fight_  
_It might just save my life”_  
Flashes of her life since coming to the Luthor’s go through her head as she pours all of her emotions out onto the keys beneath her fingers. Lionel’s drunken fights that usually ended with her bleeding, Lillian’s cruelty towards her that left her in tears, Lex laughing at everything she showed him that she made, telling her she should make them in pink.  
_“Would anyone want me_  
_If they knew what was inside my head?_  
_Would anyone see me_  
_For the person that I really am?_  
_I won’t lie so hard to hide_  
_I’ve never felt worthy of love_  
_I would give up everything I have just to feel good enough”_  
Her mind drifts to Kara, sweet Kara who saved Lena one day during recess in the sixth-grade. Kara and Alex had found the young brunette being picked on, as soon as they saw Alex though, they ran. The two of them helped Lena clean herself up and took her to their house where she met Eliza, the older woman was instantly nice to Lena and the girl had no idea what to do with everyone being so nice to her, Lillian had never shown her such a thing. The brunette had been told from day one that she was basically unwanted, that she was unloved. The Danvers were the first people to show Lena any kind of love, they had made her feel accepted.  
_“Would anyone care_  
_Would anyone cry_  
_If I finally stepped off of this ledge tonight?_  
_Would anything change?_  
_Would you all be just fine?_  
_‘Cause I need a reason to not throw the fight_  
_It just might save my life”_  
The melody picked up a little, her fingers moving faster.  
_“If you dying inside_  
_Sick of being alive_  
_Let me in, let me share in your pain_  
_From my lungs through the dark_  
_Spoken straight from the heart_  
_Let me give you a reason to stay_  
_If you’re out there still lying awake_  
_If you’re out there still wondering”_  
The melody slowed back down.  
_“Would anyone care_  
_Would anyone cry_  
_If you finally gave up and turned out the light?_  
_The world would be changed if you left it behind_  
_You can’t be replaced, no_  
_Tonight is the night you take back your life_  
_Take back your life_  
_Take back your life_  
_Take back your life”_  
It was quiet for a second, nobody moved or made a sound, not even the rowdy football players, everyone was stock still in their seats. Lena opened her eyes and connected them with Kara’s as the music tampered off, a smile making its way onto both of their faces when the crowd erupted in cheers. Lena looked around as she stood and walked to the front of the stage, she noticed some people were even wiping their eyes, tears having fallen while she played, but when her eyes went back to where Kara was, she found her seat empty; so were the two next to it.  
Before she could go find them, the blonde barreled right into her arms, lifting Lena off of the ground. The brunette wrapped her arms around Kara’s neck, squeezing as she was spun around before she was set back down and Kara’s glistening blue eyes looked back at her. The crowd got louder as two more sets of arms joined them and Lena looked to see the tearful eyes of both Eliza and Alex. As the crowd died down, Winn, who was the announcer of the evening, came back out. His eyes were slightly red and he was sniffling.  
“Well, I think we can all agree that that was perhaps the best performance we’ve had tonight, who agrees?” Lena couldn’t believe the number of cheers she got, every single person was on their feet. “Judges?” He was handed a small envelope. “And the winner is…” Winn smiled once he opened it. “Lena Luthor! Congrats, Lena.”  
When he handed Lena the trophy, applause once again erupted all around. When Lena agreed to do this, she had no idea she’d win, she never thought she was good enough. Writing songs was just something she’s done since she was little, it helped her forget what her family was really like, all her emotions and all the pain she’d suffered, she wrote down in a journal she kept hidden in her desk.  
“I told you you could do it,” Kara said.  
Lena scoffed playfully at the blonde’s smug grin, grabbing her by the collar. “Come here, ya dork.” She smiled as she connected her lips with Kara’s, because even after everything Lillian and Lionel had done to her, here she stood, in the middle of a stage with the first-place trophy, a crowd cheering at her, and most importantly; surrounded by the people she loved and who loved her back.


End file.
